Babysitting a Psycho
by I am a Ridaa
Summary: Nico finds himself in a place called "Mekakucity" and gets, by far, the worst job ever. How did the son of Hades, god of the dead and riches, end up having to take care of a mass-murdering psychopath? This demigod wonders if he'll ever get his work done. ((More favorites are appreciated .3.))
1. Shadow Travel Problems

**Chapter 1: Shadow Travel Problems**

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**My second crossover fanfic! :D Once again, it is a just a test fic because I see no one has made anything like it. It is consisted of two of my favorite fandoms: PJO and Kagerou Project~ Just like my first crossover (which was written with my brother, Riduu) I want to see how many people like these two fandoms as much as I do! And for the second time, I'm writing without Riduu! Haha.**

**I got this idea while playing this thing my friend and I play. It's called the "Dream Game". Long story. Point is, we played, and ended up with crazy results of Nico fighting Kuroha XD And thus, this fanfic was born!**

**I'm gonna guess that not a lot of people are gonna read this, but I'm supposing that's OK. It's not a popular thing. But I hope for some reviews guys :)**

**Hope you like this plot and story!**

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How is it that whenever he wanted things to turn out right, they turned out wrong?

All Nico di Angelo wanted was to be able to have a peaceful and quiet date with his sort-of boyfriend Will. Was that too much to ask? But he insisted to shadow traveling, and now, not only did he have a traumatized son of Apollo, but they've also ended up in a place too far away from their prime destination.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a flying chariot?" Will asked nervously earlier that day when they were about to find a good place for their picnic.

"You know animals hate me," Nico said stubbornly. "Shadow traveling is much easier. Plus, if we're going to be dating, we need to get used to the things we like doing."

Will had to chuckle at that. "Fine," he said finally. "But as soon as we get this date done, we take some pegasi, hop on board, and take a few minutes flight over Long Island."

It took Nico a while to answer. "Deal."

Then he took hold of Will's hand and let the shadows take them to wherever they planned on taking them.

Bad life decision.

They stumbled as they touched the ground. As the shadow disappeared, Nico tried to regain his balance; but Will wasn't so lucky. "Ow," he groaned, face flat on the floor. Trying not to laugh, Nico helped him up.

Then he frowned at his surroundings. They appeared to be in a city. People were walking around, being noisy as they passed by. There weren't many people and the place wasn't that lively, but Nico couldn't help but feel like he had a bad sensation about it. "What the Hades…" he muttered.

Will looked around in confusion. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This isn't exactly where I planned on going to. I was thinking somewhat like a cemetery or something."

Will almost laughed. "You were planning on taking us to a _cemetery_ on our date?"

"You know, like one of those out-in-the-open kinds with the sun shining down on us." The blonde just rolled his eyes.

"Maybe we can ask someone where we are," Nico suggested. A short but older woman with brown hair passed by them and he tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me, miss, can you tell us what place this is?"

The woman stared at him. _"Nani?"_ she said.

"Oh gods," Will said nervously. "_Please_ don't tell me we're in Japan…"

The woman seemed to recognize that word and nodded quickly. _"Nihon, Nihon!"_ she replied.

"Ah, yes," Nico said slowly. "Where in_ 'Nihon'_?"

She thought for a moment before saying just as slowly, "Mekakucity."

"Mekakucity?" Will frowned. "What kind of place is that?"

Nico politely waved a hand to the woman. "Thank you," he said carefully. "We're good now." She was still confused but she nodded anyway and continued walking.

"Why did we have to end up in Japan?" Will groaned.

"The question is, _how,"_ Nico said. "Because I definitely didn't think about taking us here."

"Maybe something's up. Maybe something happened that made us come here?"

"Like what?"

The blonde shrugged. "Monster? Gaea again?"

"No, Gaea's gone for good. We were sure of that. Maybe a monster, like you said." Biting his lip, Nico added, "Come on. Let's try calling my sister."

That, Will obliged to. The duo walked around for a bit until they found a deserted water fountain. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay attention as Nico turned it on. Water droplets started spouting out of it, creating a tiny cloud of mist. Light caught in it, making a perfect tiny rainbow. Lucky for Nico, he always carried some extra drachmas with him.

"Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering," he said as he flipped the coin in the mist. "Show me Hazel Levesque."

Almost immediately, the mist altered itself to show Nico's sister carrying a box towards something. He couldn't tell where she was but the younger girl noticed him in the mist immediately. She dropped her box and went up to him with a smile. "Hey, Nico," she greeted. "How are you? How's the date?"

"Not going well," he admitted. "Somehow, we ended up in Japan."

"Why are you guys there?"

"We have no idea," Will answered. "But we have to get out of here before I may find my dad and listen to his haikus!"

"Um…OK…Hazel, what are you doing?"

"Frank and I are helping Percy and Annabeth move some of their stuff to Rome. They _did_ say they planned on staying there for some times."

Nico nodded, remembering. The couple agreed to take college together and live a life in the Roman city. He had to admit, he started to miss them.

"So, we're in his cabin right now," Hazel said. Just then, Frank appeared in the picture. "Hey guys." He greeted.

"Hey," Will said quickly. "Now, can someone tell us why we are _here_?"

"We don't know, you two," Hazel said, frowning. "We didn't even know where you planned to go."

"What if your dad brought you there?" Frank suggested.

Nico frowned. "My dad?" Everyone knew Nico's godly parent was Hades (Pluto, if it was for Hazel), god of death and riches; and the reason why Nico knew how to shadow travel. "Why would my dad bring us to Japan? He's a _Greek_ god!"

"Maybe there's some trouble over there," Hazel said. "You should try finding out. Maybe Dad needs help."

"Great," Will mumbled. "More gods that need to help of half-bloods."

"Good luck, guys!" Frank said. Hazel smiled and waved a hand through the mist. Then they were cut off.

"Sorry I had to get you into this," Nico apologized.

Will shrugged. "A demigod can never have a normal life; much less go on a normal date." With a smile, he brought his dagger out. "At least we get to do this together." Nico managed a smile as he brought his out his Stygian ice sword out.

Now they had to find out what his father wanted.

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The two demigods started walking around the city, trying to find out where the "trouble" may be. Thanks to Nico and the extra lessons he had with Chiron, he was able to manipulate the Mist so people wouldn't see them with weapons; although they doubted it was needed. There weren't many people around. "One can never be too careful."

"What monster would even _come_ here?" Nico wondered aloud. "Do you think a half-blood lives in Japan?"

"Why would anyone have a Japanese kid?"

"Frank is Chinese-Canadian."

"…Touché."

Just then, the two came across a building. A mall. It was so tall and it seemed that most people of the city were spending their time there. It looked like the most crowded place in the area. "Perfect," Nico grumbled sarcastically.

"Come on," Will said, stepping forward.

"Whoa, wait. Why here?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure most criminals would want to plan their robbing or terrorizing in a place with a lot of people, right?" He frowned. "Or is it the other way around? Either way, it's best to check it out and start in the mall." Without listening to Nico protest, he walked on.

"Yep," Nico sighed. "Just perfect."

He reluctantly followed the blonde inside and immediately regretted it. People were forming crowd in there. Noisy, shouting mortals just kept shopping, walking around like it was no big deal. Nico grunted and struggled, muttering about people being like cows until Will grabbed onto his hand. Relaxing a bit, they walked through the crowd together, hand in hand.

"Still think there's trouble here?" Nico panted as they found free space.

"Why not?" Will shrugged. "Anything could happen. Especially since one could practically draw attention in a place like this."

Nico had to roll his eyes at that. "Come on! What could _possibly_ happen in—"

Suddenly, there was a scream. The two whirled around and found mortals trying to run away from something. It looked like they were getting out of a shop of some sort. Whatever happened, they knew it wasn't good.

Will looked at Nico expectantly, a smug smile on his face. "Not a word," he warned.

Weapons in hand, they charged inside.

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**Chapter one everyone! I apologize that it is short. I'd like to formally inform you people that I plan on altering the original Kagerou Project plot just a bit so it can fit this story. I also apologize if there will be some OOCness because to be honest, I suck at getting character personalities right XD I also want people to know that this fic is just for fun and crack! No hates please. I also, won't be updating for a while because I have exams tomorrow, but I really hope you enjoyed this! I understand that most people don't think these two fandoms can go together (that's what they said about my Vocaloid x Adventure Time fic!) but please do give it a chance :) Again, reviews and some favorites are appreciated~ See you soon!**


	2. Welcome!

**Chapter 2: Welcome!**

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**I have nothing to say but read, review, and enjoy~**

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Once they were in the dim shop, they were shocked at what they saw.

Corpses. So many fresh corpses. Nico didn't mind it – he was used to the dead- but beside him, Will was shaking furiously. Demigods were supposed to get used to death too, when killing monsters, but seeing so many dead mortals was simply not right. Blood was spilled on the floor, some of it dripping down the walls. The shop, which appeared to be selling clothes, was littered with garments all torn up with slash marks in them. Nico knew death didn't affect him but judging by the scene, he was prepared to be _afraid_ of whatever had caused this.

"Who would do such a thing?" Nico whispered.

Suddenly, the doors slammed behind him, and a single light shone upon a single person that stood in the middle of the room. His head was down and his bangs were in his face, but Nico could examine the rest of his features.

Black hair tied into a short ponytail. A black, long-sleeved shirt. Brown pants. Black and yellow boots with matching choker. Nico could describe him as a long lost brother. But as he slowly lifted his head, the boy fought the urge to gasp or charge at him.

The first thing he noticed was the smile. So wide; so creepy. His lips were a deep shade of blood red. His skin was so pale, it was almost transparent. He wore black headphones over his ears, which sort of matched his outfit. There was also a weird-looking yellow birthmark on his right cheek too. His black bangs shrouded over big, golden eyes, which stared into Will and Nico like they were his next victims. The duo stepped backwards, but their blades were at the ready.

"Who are you?" Nico demanded.

"Are you a monster?" Will asked.

The man laughed and Nico could swear he saw some blood gurgling in his mouth. "Perhaps," he replied in a rather gleeful tone. "But names do not matter right now. You are Americans, I presume?"

"So?" Will said. "What's it to you?"

"If you knew who I was, you would tremble in fear." The man smirked widely. "But I am being rude." Arms spread out wide, he declared, "Welcome to my womb!"

Nico stared. _'What?' _he thought. "Um…isn't this a clothes shop?"

"Now that it is littered with the blood of my prey, it is not!" The man grinned at the corpses at his feet.

"Well, whatever you're doing, we're stopping you anyway!" Will glared. "Whatever monster you are, we'll kill you!"

'_Gee, Will, way to point that out,'_ Nico said in his mind.

"We shall see about that," With another wicked smile, he pounced. Will didn't even have time to react and soon found himself flying backwards and hit the wall.

'_He's fast,'_ Nico thought, surprised. He had to focus now, for Will's sake. He first tried striking at his back unexpected but the man quickly turned, grabbed his wrist, and punched him in the jaw.

Nico was unfazed. It hurt, but he had to hit back. He kicked the man's leg, causing him to fall. Yanking his sword arm back, he tried striking his stomach, but the man rolled away and leapt back up.

The man went for a punch but Nico was fast enough to dodge. Will had recovered from the last hit and tried head locking him. But the man immediately hit him in the face and gut, causing Will to fall again.

That gave Nico the opportunity to punch him hard in the face. It was so hard, that when the head twisted back, he heard a crack. He thought he had victory for a while until his eyes widened as the man's head slowly went back in place. His smile became wider and creepier, if possible.

This time, Nico knew things needed to get serious. Before he could swing his sword, the man threw in a fury of punches. Nico instantly dodged them all, but he had to attack himself. He swung his sword at the man's neck, but his hand caught the blade. Horrified, distracted, and confused, Nico found himself thrown onto the floor and his sword taken from him. He snapped out of it just in time before his own blade stabbed him and rolled.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" the man laughed. "But it's too late now! No one escapes my womb!"

Just when Nico braced himself, he heard a voice yell out "No!" It sounded like it belonged to a boy, but it also sounded like it belonged to a girl's. He immediately didn't think it was Will.

Before Nico knew it, someone took hold of the man, and his sword was dropped on the floor. Nico leapt to his feet, sword back in his hand, as he saw the man struggling while a blur of purple tried restraining him. While the figure did that, Nico quickly went to Will's side, who was still in pain from the hits.

"You OK?" he asked.

Surprisingly, Will laughed. "As the healer here, _I'm _supposed to be the one asking that." He chuckled as Nico helped him up. "Yeah, I'm fine. But what in the Underworld _is_ that thing? Person, whatever."

"Sure _acts_ more like a _thing_ to me," Nico grumbled.

The purple figure grunted and Nico could now closely see that it was a girl with long green hair. The purple he was seeing came from the color of her hoodie, which looked like it had some kind of MP3 design with headphones on the hood. "This _thing_," she said between struggles. "is an android. He's also 'possessing' the body of one of my friends."

"How can you be _friends_ with that thing!" Will exclaimed. "And what do you mean _possessed?_"

"You mean, like a ghost or something?" Nico asked. "If so, I can deal with—"

"No, not a ghost," the girl interrupted. "It's a really long story; more complicated than you thi—"

"_Hanase!_" the man shrieked, still thrashing about. "Unhand me, already!"

"Will you stop?!"

"This is so weird," Will said, rubbing his temples. "Are they the reason why we're here?"

Suddenly, it was as if everything went still. All mortals that were outside the shop, running and screaming, froze in place as everything that was inside watched it all. Even the struggling man seemed to stop and stare. The corpses that were on the floor slowly began to disappear into the air, and the blood was slowly clearing away. "What the heck…" the green-haired girl muttered.

'_She has no idea,' _Nico thought. But either way, neither did he. What was going on?

Suddenly, there was a flash from the back of the room. The four immediately turned to it. Nico did his best not to gasp.

Standing in the middle was a hooded man in silk, black robes. When he lifted his head, it revealed a head of albino white hair, braided in a crown of gold, plus dark sunken eyes that matched Nico's. He even had the mysterious gaze that Nico recognized so much.

"Father," he said coldly. Hades looked at his son and his lips lifted into a dark smile.

"My son," he replied.

"Lord Hades," Will said, kneeling.

"Well, this is awkward," the girl said.

"What happened to everyone?" the man demanded. "There were dead people on the floor just a minute ago! What did you do?"

"Nico, Will," Hades said, ignoring the two mortals. "Welcome to Japan."

"Dad," Nico said, an annoyed expression coming onto his face as Will stood. "Why did you bring us here? Why did you mess with our shadow-traveling?"

"It is because of him!" Like a pouting child, Hades pointed an accusing finger at the weird, creepy-smiling man.

He raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Him?" Nico's eyes widened.

"He's been causing trouble for me in the Underworld!" the god complained. Nico tried not to take a step back. Seeing his father like this was a bit weird.

"I have a name, you know!" the man scoffed, crossing his arms.

"You wouldn't give it to us earlier!" Will protested.

"Quite typical of him, actually," the green-haired girl said, rolling her eyes. "They call me Kido. We call him Kuroha."

"Nice meeting you," Nico said flatly, not exactly meaning it. After all, that man – Kuroha, apparently, _did_ try to kill him.

"Why has he been causing you trouble, Lord Hades?" Will questioned, gritting his teeth. Nico didn't blame him. Things were just getting weirder and more annoying…

"Kuroha has been killing too many mortals," Hades grumbled. "For absolutely no reason at all!"

"So?" Nico scoffed. "People do that all the time."

"Not him! He does it almost _every single day!_"

"He's right," Kido muttered. "It's become a daily thing to go after him and stop him, but we're always too late."

"It's my thing!" Kuroha protested.

"That no one likes."

"He's making things difficult," the god continued. "I've never seen the numbers rise so high! Do you _know _how many screaming souls we get in a day? Plus, he's not even dead, so I can't deal with him myself!"

"So, you want _us_ to kill him?" Nico asked, scoffing.

"I'm right here," Kuroha called out.

"We know."

"No, you can't kill him," Hades said, rather reluctantly. "Like Tsubomi said, he's an android. He can't die."

"I thought she said her name was Kido," Will frowned.

"And I thought they were lying when she said he was an android," Nico added.

"Well, he is," Kido said, glaring at Will to drop the former question.

"He is in desperate need of attention," Hades declared. "So, you, my son, are going to have to change his ways."

"_What?!" _Nico and Kuroha exclaimed.

"I don't want to change!"

"I don't want to stay with a psycho!"

"Silence!" Hades ordered in a booming voice. Everyone zipped their mouths. Hades turned to Nico. "You need to do this. The Underworld's fate is in your hands." Then he turned to Kuroha. "It needs _you_ to stop everything you're doing."

"But—"

"No buts!" he boomed. Silence. Hades nodded at Nico. "I require you to stay in Japan for as long as possible. Will Sollace needs to return to camp and resume his own duties while you're here. Other than that, I wish you luck, my son." With a grunt, he added, "_Lots_ of it." With another cold smile, he snapped his fingers and disappeared. Almost immediately, everything turned back to normal.

"Well, it looks like I found myself in hell," Nico declared.

"He didn't even say if it was OK for them to find out we were demigods," Will said.

"What are demigods?" Kido asked. Nico looked at Will, who seemed to be silently cursing at himself.

"Well, it looks like you have a lot of explaining to do." Kuroha smirked.

"And _you_ need to give Konoha control of his body again." Kido narrowed her eyes at him sternly.

Kuroha rolled his eyes. "Fine."

To Nico and Will's surprise, some sort of white rope started to shroud the android, and the blackness seemed to die out of him. When the rope disappeared, they saw a new version of Kuroha: his hair and clothes were white, his eyes were red, and so was the weird birthmark on his cheek. Plus, instead of a smile, on his face was a blank expression that Nico found better to see on him.

"You need to control him better, Konoha," kido scolded.

The white version of Kuroha – Konoha, as it appeared to be – bowed his head apologetically. _"Gomenasai_, Kido-san," he said quietly.

"Yep," Will said. "We have a lot of explaining to do to one another."

Kido lead the four of them out of the now-cleaned clothes shop. "You two need to come with us to the Dan," she said. "We'll take the explaining _there._"

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**Come on, guys, tell me it was good! I know I'm not getting much views, but at least tell me what you think! It would help a lot. .3.**


	3. Meet the Dan

**Chapter 3: Meet the Dan**

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**Merry Christmas, everyone! This isn't a Christmas special, but the chapter they all meet! (nuff said xD) Sorry for updating late! Hope this makes up for it!**

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After that little reunion, the four of them went to get negima.

Nico was baffled. After all that has happened, they wanted to get _food?_

It was pretty good though. Konoha lavished it and had already devoured three sticks of it.

"He sure likes barbecue," Will commented.

"You have no idea," Kido replied.

"So, what's the plan?" Nico asked.

"First things first," Suddenly, Kido's eyes turned red; as in they literally glowed. When they turned back to normal, Nico stared some more.

"What the Hades?" he deadpanned.

"Questions must be reserved for later," she said simply. "Now, come on." She and Konoha started to exit the mall while Will stared at Nico. He shrugged, indicating he was just as confused, and followed.

As soon as they were back outside, the two demigods realized that no one was seeing them. Sure, no one paid attention to a stranger; but it was impossible if that person thought it was OK to pass right through them.

"It's as if we're not even here," Nico murmured.

"Pick up the pace!" Kido ordered as soon as they came across an empty-looking area.

Nico and Will jogged up to her side, Konoha trailing after them. "Where are we even going?"

"We're here."

"What?"

They suddenly realized they stopped at a door. It looked like an entrance to some sort of secret warehouse. As soon as they went inside, the half bloods realized it was more of a hideout. There were couches and tables and many other doors leading to various other rooms. That's when they realized they weren't alone.

"Danchou-san has returned with Konoha!" said a girl with long, white fluffy hair.

The just-arrived people stepped inside the room and closed the door. "Where are we?" Will asked, looking around.

A cat-eyed boy with dirty blonde hair and a black jacket stepped forward, a smile creeping upon his lips. _"Youkoso, Mekakushi Dan e!"_ he greeted cheerfully.

"Gazundheit?" Nico said.

"Hmm~? So Danchou brought _American_ guests~!"

"Shut up, Kano," Kido said hotly.

"It's always nice to have new members," a black-haired boy in a green jacket said and smiled.

"They're not going to join the Dan," Kido explained. "They'll just be staying for a while."

"Actually, _I'll_ be staying for a while," Nico corrected. "But hopefully, not for long."

"Do they know about our eye powers, Danchou?" a blonde girl whispered.

Kido nodded. "But they don't know the whole story, so that's why we're all gathered here right now."

"Well then! We best start with the introductions!" The cat-eyed boy smiled and bowed. "I am Kano, as Danchou has already mentioned." He gestured to the black-haired boy and white-haired girl. "These two are Seto and Marry. Momo over there's the other blonde."

"_Konnichiwa~!" _she greeted happily.

He tried not to snicker as he pointed at a few more people in the background. "Soda boy over there is her bro, Shintaro, and the annoying little cyber girl in his phone is Ene."

"Soda boy…?" Shintaro deadpanned.

"Cyber girl?" Will asked, but the look on Kano's face told him to drop it.

He then went on. "Her human counterpart is the tsundere, Takane, and her boyfriend and Konoha's counterpart is the quiet, oblivious, Haruka."

"We heard that!"

"I know~"

"Counterparts?" Nico echoed.

"Tell ya later. The youngest members are the shota _cough_ Hibiya and the brat _cough_ Hiyori."

"I'm not a shota!" Hibiya shouted. Hiyori could care less, as their eyes were glued to the television screen in front of them. Will just gave a little wave.

"I guess that's all the members for now~ That makes all nine of us, hmm?"

"Nine?" Nico frowned. "But there are like, thirteen of you!"

"Fourteen, if you count Kuroha!" Ene shouted.

"Which I still don't understand how _that_ works…"

"Well, Hiyori's not really a true member here," Kano piped.

"Uh, OK…what about the rest?"

"We said we'll explain and we will," the leader promised. "But first, _we_ need to understand why _you're _here."

"Hang on," Hiyori cut in, looking up. "How did you even _find_ them, Danchou?"

"Yeah," Takane said, crossing her arms. "One minute, it's your turn to go after Kuroha, the next, you come back with two more dudes."

"Gee, we feel so welcome," Will muttered,

"It's 'her' turn?" Nico gawked. "This is a regular thing?"

Kido gave him a look that said, _"You ask too many questions"_ and turned to them all. "I found them in the mall, trying to stop Kuroha themselves. When I intervened, some other guy who claimed to be a 'god' comes in and insisted that this emo boy here stays with us."

"Emo?..."

"Must have been scary for you," Haruka gasped.

"Well, he wasn't that intimidating."

Nico felt the urge to speak up as he scrunched up his face and his ears turned red. "For your information, _he_ was my dad," he huffed, matter-of-factly. "Hades, _god of the dead._ He's _meant _to be intimidating."

"Creepy _and_ scary," Hibiya agreed.

"If your dad is a god," Seto said slowly. "Then who is your mom?"

"A mortal. A human. Which makes me half-god, half-human. A half-blood. A demigod."

"Demigod," Ene mouthed from Shintaro's phone. "That's so cool!"

"Shut up, Ene," Shintaro said nervously. "It's also too weird. There's no such thing as gods or half-bloods!"

"And you were supposed to be the 'genius' here, _Goshujin!_"

"You should listen to your little phone girl," Will warned. "The gods are closer than you think. By the way, I'm Will Solace, son of Apollo."

"Nice to meet you, Will," Marry said cheerfully.

Kano turned to his companion. "You never told us _your_ name~"

The young teen had to scoff. "Nico di Angelo."

"American _and _Italian…"

"What brings you to Japan?" Marry asked.

"His Dad brought us here," Will explained. "He gave Nico a mission to watch over Kuroha and change his ways, which we don't understand _why_ and _how."_

"They _why _is simple," Kido said. "Ever since Kuroha appeared, he's been having an appetite for spilling blood and killing everyone. When the snakes got out of all of us, _he_ stayed. And on top of all that, we still have our eye powers. Which is good for us, but not for Konoha, since part of his eye power is having him appear."

"There are so many things I don't understand in that," Nico said. " 'Since he appeared'? 'Snakes got out of us'? 'Eye powers'?"

Kido looked at the rest of the Dan, waiting for permission to continue. They nodded, but they still looked reluctant about it.

"Long before, Marry's grandmother here was a Medusa, meaning she could control these snakes that have different powers. One day, she created this never-ending world called the Heat Haze, which allows anyone that enters it to live immortally there forever. She disappeared into the Haze and released her snakes into the world. The snakes each possessed a certain person after they died, giving them a certain ability. But the Queen of the snakes was given to Marry. She had the power to enter and exit the Haze whenever she wanted to. She could also have the ability to combine all the snakes, if she wished. And one snake – the Snake of Clearing Eyes – had her make a wish that repeated time continuously. He had to destroy us all, just so he could repeat everything and restart his destruction all over again."

"Is that the snake that possessed Kuroha?" Nico asked, catching on.

"Yes. But finally, Marry wished for something else. She had the snakes – including the one in Kuroha – disappeared forever. The eye powers they possessed were left within us. Unfortunately, so was Kuroha. He stayed in _Konoha's_ body and sometimes even appears when he's not using his eye power. Most of the time, we can't control him. He can't even control _himself."_

"That's horrible," Will commented.

"Hey, we've seen _Earth_ falling," Nico reminded. "If we couldn't handle her, I can't stop a psychopath from mass murdering."

"I-I'm sorry for all the trouble I have caused," Konoha murmured.

"Aww, it's not your fault!" Momo reassured.

"It kinda is," Shintaro coughed. His sister immediately slugged him in the arm.

"You're making Haruka feel bad!" Takane defended angrily.

"Right…sorry…"

"Oh yeah," Will remembered. "What did you mean about Kuroha and Konoha being Haruka's counterpart and Ene being Takane's? More importantly, why did you say you had _nine_ members when you clearly have _fourteen_ people?"

"Ah, that's a little bit harder to explain," Kano sighed.

"When the snake that possessed Konoha with Kuroha appeared," Seto started. "He first possessed our dad. He was also Haruka and Takane's teacher, which made it easier for it to experiment on them. It made Takane turn into Ene and Haruka into Konoha. But when all the snakes died, they separated into four different people. Ene, however, still lives in Shintaro's phone, as his cyber girl, and Kuroha stayed in Konoha."

"You're right," Will agreed. "I understood absolutely nothing."

"I did," Nico frowned. "He really has been nothing but trouble."

"Ya think?" Hibiya scoffed.

"I can see why you're dad would be annoyed," Will told Nico.

The teen nodded with a sigh. "I'm willing to stay here," he announced. "Just as long as you promise to _never_ tell anyone about gods or half-bloods."

"Sure," Kido said, narrowing her eyes. "Just as long as _you_ never tell anyone about the Dan."

"Deal, then."

"Besides~" Kano sang. "We don't know anyone but each other. Who's more to tell?"

"You never know."

"Ouch," The cat-eyed boy struck a dramatic pose. "It's sad to know you don't trust us, _Nico-chan~"_

"We just met! And don't call me _Nico-chan."_

"Death Boy, then."

"Speaking of death," Will interrupted, before Nico could snap. "Annabeth would kill me if we end up at camp late. Especially when you're not there."

"You best get going then," Nico said.

"We'll keep an eye on him, Will-san!" Ene called out cheerfully.

Will winked back. "Better keep a large one."

"Am I that hard to take care of?"

"Well…"

"Hey!"

* * *

After one room preparation and an Iris-message to camp, it was time for Will to leave.

"Guess we'll have to continue that picnic some other time, huh?" Will smirked.

Nico tried not to blush. Luckily, his pale skin masked it up. He wanted nothing more than to grab him and kiss him goodbye, but he couldn't; not _in the open_, in front of _thirteen_ people.

"Come try and visit again, Will-san~!" Momo said cheerfully.

"How come he gets to be called respectively?" Nico grumbled.

"It was nice meeting you all," Will said, nodding. But in a lower voice, he whispered to Nico, "Be alert. You never know what these people might pull off." Nico stared, a bit surprised, but nodded.

Suddenly, there was a whinnying sound in the air. Everyone looked up to see a flying chariot pulled by two pegasi. It landed on the ground with a skid, and the driver behind the reins gave a little wave. "Hey guys," Butch greeted.

"Thanks for picking me up," Will said gratefully.

"No problem. The excuse made pretty sense to me. Oh, and this is for Nico," He reached into the back and tossed him a big black backpack, which Nico caught with a grunt.

"Gee, thanks," he muttered.

"Glad to help. Ya'll done with your goodbyes? Annabeth and Chiron want a _clear_ explanation from you, Will."

"Wait, are you a demigod too?" Shintaro blurted out.

"Got a problem?"

"N-No…who's your parent?"

"Iris, goddess of the rainbow."

Just then, Kano burst out into fits of laughter. Everyone stared while Butch glared. He still didn't stop. "What, does she go around, befriending the goddess of flowers? Does she provide pots of gold for the leprechauns?"

"Knock it off, Kano," Takane warned through gritted teeth.

"Wait, one more. Ask your mom why she's slow, huh, she always seems to come after the goddess of the rain."

He crossed the line when Kido kicked him in the shin and he fell to the floor, enduring the pain. "You could have angered a god for that!" the girl yelled.

"Well, Mom's just a minor goddess," Butch huffed. "But dudes, do _not_ let this guy near Leo. I couldn't _dream _of what would happen if they met."

"Not like we could if we wanted to," Nico said softly. His gaze suddenly seemed to drop to the floor and so did Will's and Butch's. The Dan noticed a silent soft subject being discussed and decided not to question about it.

"You should get going," Haruka piped up, breaking the silence and smiling softly.

"Oh, right," Will turned to Nico and gave him a light kiss on the cheek, causing him to turn red. "See you around." With another smirk, he hopped on the chariot.

"See you, Nico," Butch called as Nico nodded slowly. "Dude," He then turned to Will. "When I heard you were in Japan, I just literally thought of your father's haikus…" With that, they took off into the sky.

Nico slowly faced the Dan, who seemed to be silent for a moment longer than must. "I…"

"Don't worry, Nico," Seto said as he smiled, seeming to forget about the kiss scene. "Even if you have a job to do, I'm sure you'll love it here in Mekakucity. Now, let's show you to your room…"

* * *

**Next time I update, it'll be 2015! ;) See you in the next chapter, guys! Happy New Year!**


	4. The Many Tales of the Snake

**Chapter 4: The Many Tales of The Snake**

* * *

**Late Happy New Year, guys! Sorry for not updating in a while, but I had no inspiration ^^" But I'm back now~ To those who read this fic, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

That night, Nico had a hard time falling asleep. He tossed and turned, thinking about what could possibly happen tomorrow morning. Finally, he passed out when thinking became too tiring.

However, he'd already received an unexpected call.

* * *

_Nico found himself in what looked like a vortex. He was floating midair, unsure of where he was and why he was even there. Until the dark figure came._

"_Father?" Nico asked, trying not to sound annoyed._

"_Hello again, my son," he said. "How have you been doing in that job I assigned you with?"_

_Nico was baffled. "I haven't even started yet!"_

"_Oh. You haven't?"_

"_Of course not!"_

"_I see. Time is confusing in the Underworld. Do hurry up, will you? The paperwork is piling up by the minute."_

_Nico tried not to roll his eyes at the god's attitude, but he had to ask something. "Father?"_

"_Yeees?"_

"_Why did you choose me to do this?"_

_Hades shrugged. "You are my child, are you not? This is your chance to prove yourself, to show you are a true son of mine. Besides, I want to see if your 'emotions' have not yet changed you or got in the way of your duties."_

_The demigod sighed at that and lowered his head. "Yes, Dad…"_

"_Good boy. I insist on seeing improvement next time. Be careful with these 'dead snake children'. You don't know what else they are hiding. Good night, boy."_

* * *

When Nico's eyes fluttered open, he almost bolted upright when the first thing he saw was Will's face, oh-so-close to his. He sat up straight and almost backed away. "Will?" he gasped.

The son of Apollo's face chuckled back at him. "Well, I didn't expect you would react like _that."_

Nico was about to ask _what_ he was doing back here until he blinked, and Will's face was replaced by a smirking Kano. _"Ohayou~" _he greeted.

"What…" Nico stuttered. "How—"

"Fooled you, didn't I~? I wanted to see what you'd do when you suddenly saw your boyfriend early in the morning~"

"Will is not my—How did you even do that?!"

"My eye power! It's called 'Deceiving Eyes'. I tricked you into thinking I was that Will guy!"

Nico blinked, still shocked. "Why…"

"Caught you in a daze, huh?" Kano giggled. "Anyhoo, there's food cooking in the kitchen in case you want some. Kido's preparing breakfast this time, so you'll probably like it~" With a wink, he practically skipped out of the room.

The son of Hades blinked again before sighing in frustration. Was he supposed to get used to wake-up calls like that too?

After changing into his usual aviator's jacket, black shirt, and jeans, he headed out the room and into the kitchen. Kido was by the stove, cooking something that distinctly smelled like bacon. The scent filled Nico's nose as he sat down. Distracted by the smells, the green-haired girl set a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon down for him as he inhaled the heavenly scents.

"So they wake you up early in this camp of yours too?" she said.

"Well," Nico hesitated. "Yes, but I was planning on sleeping in a while longer until your friend Kano woke me."

Kido scowled. "Kano, huh? Figures. Always causing trouble for the newbies."

"He said he 'deceived' me with his eye power…"

"Mm-hmm. 'Deceiving Eyes'. Our powers are named things like that because our eyes turn red when we use them."

"What's yours then? It probably has something to do with invisibility, right?"

Kido nodded as Nico took a bite of eggs. " ' Concealing Eyes'. By the name itself, I can conceal myself and anyone I allow from everything else. It sort of defines me, really…"

The young teen nodded slowly, seeming to understand. He would've wanted an eye power like that. "Yesterday, you said that you got eye powers because someone else…'died' with you?"

Kido nodded again but sighed as if it was a sore subject. "We all died before but we were reborn again into the people we are now. But when we died, someone we loved had to be sacrificed for us to revive. The others have their stories, but I died with my sister. We were stuck in the 'Heat-Haze' until I got my eye ability."

Suddenly, Nico softened up to her. He knew what it was like to lose a sister you loved. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. But I envy Hibiya. Hiyori was with him when he died, but since he's the youngest and most recent member, both of them were able to come back. So did my step-sister Ayano, but you know…"

"He must've been very lucky…"

"Mm…"

"What's his eye power?"

" 'Focusing Eyes'. It helped him see objects and places far away or deep within. Each one of us has a different eye ability."

"What's Konoha's?"

"Do you _always _ask this many questions?" Kido blurted out.

Nico was taken aback. He hadn't realized he was asking so many things. This Kido girl really reminded him a lot of someone…himself. "No…sorry."

The girl only sighed. "It's fine. Konoha's power is 'Awakening Eyes'. When he was still nothing but a fragment of Haruka's imagination, he wished to become stronger, thus Konoha was born. It's a long story, really, even I don't understand."

"It's OK. You told me enough."

"You going to use that information for something?"

Nico hesitated, taking the last bite of his eggs. "Maybe it could help when I'm interrogating Kuroha…" Then he pushed his empty plate away and stood, saying, "Thanks for breakfast. It was delicious."

" 'Welcome. The others will be down in a minute so good thing you liked it."

"Hey, I'm going to go around, check your base out, if you don't mind."

Kido scoffed. "You probably won't find much. We're not exactly a popular group, in case you haven't noticed."

Rolling his eyes, Nico left the room. He crossed halls and passed by many doors that led to various rooms. Nico was surprised at how much can fit into one big house. It almost reminded him of the cabins back at camp.

Just then, one of the doors opened and Nico turned to it. A black-haired boy in a red jacket came out, wearing a rather blank expression.

"Hey," he said in a bored tone. "You're that guy that's supposed to be staying over here, right?"

"Temporarily," Nico corrected. "Soda Boy, right?" he smirked.

"…Emo Death Boy, right?"

"…Good morning, Shintaro."

"_Ohayou,_ Nico."

"Aww, _Goshujin_ made a friend!" a voice from his pocket beeped out.

Sighing, Shintaro slapped his side. "Be quiet, Ene," he hissed.

"Let me out, Master! I want to see the boy again!'

Through gritted teeth, Shintaro pulled his phone out of his pocket and a blue-haired girl with pixilated legs popped onto the screen. "Hello~" she greeted cheerfully. "I am the Super Pretty Cyber Girl, Ene! Nice to meet you, _Nico-chan_!"

Biting his lip, Nico said, "Would you _please_ drop the _–chan?"_

Ene giggled. "Sure, Death Boy~!" Wow, did Nico start to hate her.

Changing the topic, he said, "Hey, I heard from Kido that you had eye powers. Is it true?"

Shintaro raised an eyebrow. "Would we be here if we didn't?"

"…No, I suppose not. What's yours?"

He hesitated for a moment. " 'Retaining Eyes'."

"…What? What is that?"

"…I have no idea."

Nico stared, dumbfounded. He didn't know his own eye power?

"Don't listen to my boring ol' Master!" Ene shouted. "He's just annoyed 'cause he has to _share_ his ability with Ayano-chan."

"T-That's not true! Besides, _you_ have to share your ability too!"

"Why, what's your eye power?" Nico asked.

" 'Opening Eyes.' It means I get to be immortal and hack everyone's computers while my other half gets to be the human version of me."

"I'm assuming you're talking about Takane…"

"Yep! Though she's like the body of our soul, we still don't talk much because _a certain somebody _is still too freaked out to talk to the friends he thought were dead for two years!"

"You can't blame me!" Shintaro argued. "Sometimes, I can't even _look_ at you or Konoha without knowing you used to be Takane and Haruka!"

"We separated into different bodies and minds already! Get over it!"

"Hey, guys, chill," Nico said, getting annoyed by their fighting. "Calm down, maybe I can talk to them next. Thanks for answering my questions, though."

"Sure, anytime," Shintaro said distractedly.

"Hmph! Like you have time for _anyone_,"

"Shut up, Ene!"

Hoping the next pair would be a bit quieter, Nico went to look for more rooms.

Nico went to a different, darker part of the halls and found more doors. _'Maybe I can find someone here,' _he thought. But when he opened one door, he found the room empty. Judging by its simple, girlish-boyish theme, Nico assumed it was Kido's.

He walked over to the bedside table and picked up a picture frame. In the photograph, he recognized a younger-looking Kido, a small but still troubled-looking kano, and a shy-bearing Seto. Behind them, looking like she was giving all three kids a hug was a brown-haired girl with a red scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked intently proud as she grinned solemnly at the camera.

"That's Ayano."

Nico whirled around and found a softly smiling Seto, leaning against the doorframe as he glanced at the picture. The son of Hades nodded. "Ene mentioned her today. So did Kido and Kano. She's their step-sister?"

"And mine," Seto sighed. "She's also Takane and Haruka's friends and Shintaro's sort-of best friend. She's the true leader and founder of the Dan, the one who brought all this together."

"I didn't know you, Kano, and Kido were siblings…"

"Not by blood. We go a long way back. We grew up in the same orphanage together until Ayano's mom adopted us. We kept our last names though. Our adoptive older sister called us by our first names: Tsubomi is Kido, Shuuya is Kano, and I'm Kousuke. When she formed the Dan, our last names were our code names. Ayano nee-chan died protecting us and we got sad for a while. But now we're glad she's 'back from the Haze'."

Nico took one more look at the picture. He could see the family love. "How did she feel about everything after she got back from this 'Haze' I know nothing about."

Seto chuckled. "The Haze is like this realm where the dead people are stuck in it until it's decided who dies and who gets the eye ability. Nee-chan went alone, so she was stuck in the Haze, immortal and never aging until Shintaro came along and joined her. Now both of them came back and all was well."

When Nico didn't say anything, he continued. "As for your earlier question, she actually knew about Takane and Haruka's fates. She thought she could save them too, but even with that soul and body division thing, she's happy their all right."

"But what about…you know, Kuroha?"

Seto was silent. Nico had already set the picture down and the two were just staring at each other. The Dan member just kept opening and closing his mouth (like a frog's), unsure of what to say.

"The founding leader avoids him."

The two turned to find the white-haired Marry at Seto's side. She stepped forward and Nico was surprised to find a stern look on her face.

"I liked Konoha," she said. "I also liked Haruka. They're both kind and nice. But I can never trust Kuroha. The Snake of Clearing Eyes possessed Konoha just for him to be alive and I've never forgiven him for that. Life has been harder with him around. The three might have come from the same person but he's very different. Ayano-san avoids him; and if you ask me, so should you."

The demigod just stared at her. Was Kuroha really that bad? That's why he was here, right? To somehow make Kuroha seem better? But no one even had faith in him…

"Marry," Seto said soothingly. "Nico has a job to do here. He can't avoid Kuroha because he needs to work with him."

"He's the one that made my grandmother create the Haze in the first place," Marry mumbled. "He tried to kill you all. He made me repeat the same timeline over and over again. I don't think he'll _ever_ be a better person."

"Ah, but you have to believe a little, right?" Nico asked, slowly inching away from them. "But I appreciate the reminders, you two. I'll see you around." Then he took off, leaving a confused Seto behind (with a still slightly furious Marry).

Nico's thoughts ran through his mind on a treadmill. These people really hated Kuroha, huh? He can't even make any friends here. What can Nico, a complete stranger, do?

He walked into the living room again, but suddenly, he wasn't alone anymore. Two more people were there, sitting on the couch. One was sketching something in his pad while the other was talking to him about another. When Nico came in, they immediately stopped talking.

"_Ohayou._ Did you sleep well, Nico-kun?" the boy said politely.

Thankfully, Nico recognized them. "Yes, thank you, Haruka."

Haruka turned to the girl, Takane, who didn't seem to be looking at Nico. "Takane, say hello."

The girl was silent for a moment, making Nico raise an eyebrow at her. Finally, she quietly said, "Hello…"

"She's shy," Haruka explained.

"She's certainly different from Ene," Nico blurted out, immediately regretting it.

Takane huffed at that, crossing her arms. "We were actually talking about you," she said matter-of-factly.

"Well, you and my other half," Haruka said.

"Which one? Konoha or Kuroha?"

"Hey, back off," Takane snarled, unfazing Nico. "Kuroha is _not_ his 'other half'. They're _nothing_ alike."

The teen boy only shrugged. "If you say so."

"Takane…" Haruka sighed. He turned to Nico apologetically. "She thinks that there's no way you'd be able to change his point of view of things. She thinks he'll never be like me or Konoha."

"Which is true!"

Nico frowned. "You know, some people deserve a second chance—"

"He's all _out _of chances," Takane grumbled.

"Takane, we've talked about this," Haruka said. "It wasn't Kuroha's fault, it was the snake living inside him. It _controlled_ him, and Kenjirou-sensei too. But now it's gone."

"They still sound like the same people to me…"

"Speaking of the snake, may I ask your experiences with it?" Nico asked, hoping to break the tension.

"Well, I was still in the 'Haze' when he appeared," Haruka admitted. "Konoha took a greater deal from it. But whenever, I look at him, I just see a different version of myself…someone stronger, who could've protected my friends better…"

"Haruka…" Takane started, but he let himself continue.

"I'm completely fine with having a 'counterpart' like Konoha. But when I see Kuroha, I feel like he could the complete opposite of what he does. And whatever _they_ do, I only feel concerned and responsible."

"Haruka, you're a different person from them. What they do has nothing to do with you."

"Like you and Ene," Nico suggested, but was ignored.

Haruka sighed and Nico got a better view of what he was drawing: himself, with Konoha and Kuroha. "I do wish he became a better person…I wish we even knew what he was planning _now."_

"I'll do my best, Haruka," Nico promised quietly. "I'm not even allowed to leave until he changes his ways. I'll think of something."

Haruka smiled his usual gentle smile. "Thank you, Nico. You are a blessing, really."

"Well, I _was_ sent by a god…"

Haruka chuckled while Takane frowned. "How do you even manage yourself with us?" she asked. "Don't you think we're weird, or abnormal, or something completely out-of-the-ordinary?"

Nico sighed, wishing this were true. "Believe me," he assured. "I've experienced worse."

Once again, he left the room before anyone could say anything more. He went outside the building and gazed up at the sun above, shining down on him. Nico sighed again.

Were they really all right? Will Kuroha be that difficult to handle? If so, how can _he_ deal with that? He knew he was the son of Hades, but would he really be able to succeed?

Suddenly, Nico heard footsteps coming up from behind him.

* * *

**And here's chapter 4! I don't know when will be the next time I update. Maybe when I feel like it or when I'm motivated enough. But anyway, hope you're still reading this!**


	5. He Lives In Me

**Chapter 5: He Lives In Me**

* * *

**Sigh I hate school. It gives me distractions in my writing. Plus, there's too much effort in projects. Anyhow, here's a chapter, since this is the only time I'm able to write one~**

* * *

Nico quickly turned around, ready to bring his sword out and swing it when he saw Konoha standing there. He immediately relaxed, but his hand was still on the hilt. The albino's blank expression turned into a concerned one. "D-Did I scare you?"

The son of Hades felt insulted at that. "No, of course not. Just don't do that again."

Konoha nodded, seeming quiet. _"G-Gomen…"_

"Hey, you're not gonna start crying, are you?"

"N-No…sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Nico rubbed the back of his head. "Wow, you are _nothing_ like Kuroha."

Konoha nodded again. "Kuroha is meant to be the opposite of me."

"You talk less too…and you're less emotional."

"I suppose I am…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…You make me look bad."

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind. Are you _always_ this quiet?" Konoha shrugged at that. "Um, don't you have anything to say at all for this day?"

"…I want negima."

"That's not what I meant…don't you have something to say to me or anything?"

The albino hesitated. "Do you have any powers?"

Nico was a bit surprised at that. This entire time, he'd almost wondered why these people hadn't asked that yet. Probably because _he _had been asking the questions himself. "Well, sort of. I shadow travel, talk to ghosts, raise the dead…"

Konoha's pinkish-red eyes almost widened. "Does that mean you can talk to the people Kuroha has killed and tell them he's sorry?"

The black-haired teen almost burst out laughing at that, but he quickly bit his tongue. "I-It doesn't work that way…I can't do that. Just because I'm the son of Hades doesn't mean I can control them _all _the time."

"Oh…I see."

"You really _are _different from Kuroha. How do you stand it, knowing the 'killer' side of you could turn up any minute?"

Suddenly the android's face softened and Nico almost saw emotion in his eyes. "I don't…it's scary to know I don't even know the things he does when he's in control. But Kuroha's soul lives in me. When he takes over, I have to deal with it."

"Can't you control him? Isn't there some way you can divide into two people, like you did with Haruka?"

He shook his head sadly, his tiny ponytail swaying. "He is my 'other half.' I don't think we'll ever become two different people… And I can't control him. I lose my consciousness when he's using my body. Like I said, I don't even know what's happening."

Nico remembered when he first met Konoha yesterday, when Kido scolded him for needing to learn how to control his darker side. He didn't protest, just apologized. And when he _did_ turn back to normal, he looked lost, like he didn't know why he was there.

"Look," Nico said slowly. "I know that we haven't known each other that long, but—"

He froze when the albino suddenly doubled over, like he was in pain. Just then, familiar ropes appeared out of nowhere. They were white before, but now they were back. They enveloped Konoha and the whiteness seemed to die out of him. When the ropes disappeared, Kuroha was replaced.

"Pardon me, Mr. di Angelo," he sneered calmly. "but whatever you have to say to my 'other half' is not needed. We're perfectly fine together, thank you."

Nico glared at him. "Why can't you just be like him? That snake inside you is gone, you can be a better person!"

He almost backed up when Kuroha leaned in very close to his face, giving him a sly red smile. "I can never be a better person," he hissed quietly. "I will _always_ be the Snake."

When he pulled away, he gave Nico one last grin before taking off and disappearing into the streets.

The son ofHades was still frozen in place, processing what just happened. Kuroha had just revealed himself again and took off. What should he do now?

Without any more's hesitation, he gripped his sword, turned around, and trailed after him.

* * *

Nico searched everywhere for Kuroha. Because he didn't even know him that much, he just went to the closest place he could find and checked there. But he never was. It was like he just vanished into thin air.

Just when Nico was ready to give up, throw his sword down, and stomp back over to the Dan yelling curses, he heard a scream. It was followed by maniacal laughter and even louder screams. What's more is that it was coming from an alleyway.

"Oh, how cliché," Nico muttered. Readying his sword, he charged in.

Sure enough, Kuroha was there. Two girls in outlandish clothes were shaking in fear, and they seemed to be covered in their own blood. The android had some blood on him too, but it clearly wasn't his own. His golden eyes were wide open, almost out of their sockets, and had his usual big red smile on his lips. His expression was of those of a murderer.

"Welcome to the womb," he jeered. A knife was in his hand, ready to swing, and the girls screamed again.

"Man, I hate my job," Nico groaned.

With full concentration, he placed his hands just hovering above the ground and closed his eyes. Slowly, he lighted them upwards and opened his eyes again.

A skeletal hand popped out of the ground. It was later followed by a skeleton body. Soon, more of them came out, creating a skeleton army. They didn't need a command from Nico to know what to do. As soon as they saw Kuroha, they lunged.

Dropping his knife, he started screaming as bony hands began to hold him back. "Let me go!" he shrieked.

The girls, who were just earlier cowering as they were about to be killed, brightened up and started cheering. "The police have come to save us!" the said gleefully.

'_So that's what they see,' _Nico thought. Thanks to the Mist, the mortals were able to see something else other than an undead army trying to stop a serial killer.

"Go already!" he ordered at the two girls. Did they _have _to be told?

"Oh, right!" They quickly snapped out of their gaze and tried to go around their now-captive murderer.

"Not so fast!" Kuroha shouted. Before they could have a chance to react, he stabbed one of the girls on the leg.

Nico's eyes widened, but he got annoyed when both girls started screaming hysterically. Kuroha was laughing, complete sucking in their frenzy. He went for another stabbed, but the uninjured on kept dodging while screaming some more. While the skeletons continued to hold him back.

It was enough to make Nico facepalm.

Before Kuroha could attack again, Nico grasped both girls by their shoulders, "Just leave!" he yelled, pushing them out the alleyway. Still screaming, the un-stabbed girl grabbed her friend and helped run right out of there.

"No!" Kuroha suddenly started thrashing and squirming about. "You let my prey get away!" He just continued shaking and yelling, making the skeletons have a much harder time to restrain him. They looked at their leader, as if pleading with him.

Nico glared and readied his sword. "Are you completely out of your mind?!" he shouted. "You tried to kill innocent people!"

"I am aware!"

"What is the matter with you?! Are you some kind of psychopath?!"

"No, I am a snake!"

"Will you stop moving already?!"

"I can't! I am also an android!"

"Where the Hades is your off button then?"

"I don't have one!"

Nico threw his hands up, exasperated. "Where's Leo when you need him?!"

"Who's Leo?"

"No one you should know! Why can't you be a normal person like everyone else?!"

That's when Kuroha started laughing hysterically again. The son of Hades almost stepped back, scared by his reaction.

"I'm afraid that can never happen, Mr. di Angelo."

Then, white ropes appeared and began to cover Kuroha up again. The skeletons stepped back as the transformation started. Nico could only frown.

* * *

**Sorry it's so short! But I'm working on a project right now. No time to write! After I finish this project, I have another one waiting! Wish me luck~! :)**


	6. Fair Day

**Chapter 6: Fair Day**

* * *

The son of Hades stared as Kuroha slowly began to transform back into Konoha. The albino's blank expression returned to his face as he looked around. "Where…"

He looked down at the skeletons around him. "Did Kuroha get me arrested again?"

"What?" Nico frowned. "No, no…" He looked at one skeleton and nodded. It bowed, and all of them started sinking back into the ground.

"Are we going to plant police officers?"

"No, Konoha…those weren't the police, they were skeletons."

Konoha blinked. "But they looked like officers."

"That's just the Mist. It _makes_ mortals see something that's just an illusion of what's _really_ there."

"I see…" Konoha kept staring at the ground. "So we're planting skeletons, then?" Nico almost slapped him for that.

The two left the alleyway. No one seemed to notice there was anything going on in there, making Nico relax. "You said that was one of your powers, right?" Konoha asked. "Raising the dead?"

Nico nodded. "That's right."

"So that's why your father brought you're here?"

The teen boy stared. For someone who looked blank and expressionless, Konoha actually understood a lot. Maybe because his counterpart Haruka was like that? Nico didn't know.

"Yes," he replied slowly. "That's why…"

* * *

Kuroha didn't appear again after that. Nico happily took a long nap and didn't wake up until the next day. So when he got out of bed, he was hungry. He was about to head towards the kitchen when he heard someone behind him.

Nico turned and saw mist growing in his room by the window. He was confused for a bit until he saw a rainbow. Mustering a small smile, Nico walked over to it, secretly hoping Will was calling.

He was almost disappointed when he saw Percy's face. _Almost. _Percy did used to be his former crush, but all Nico could return for his smiling, happy face was a cold, hard stare. "What is it Percy?" he asked expressionlessly.

"Nico," he said, sounding happy. "Will told me about your trip in Japan."

The son of Hades only shrugged. "Father gave me a mission is all. A really annoying one at that."

Percy nodded slowly. "Annabeth and I just wanted to say hi." He moved away and the face of said-girlfriend came into the picture.

"Hey, Nico," she greeted, smiling.

He waved. "Hey, Annabeth," When she disappeared, he said, "There, you guys said it. Are you done?"

"We just arrived in Rome," Percy continued. "Just wanted you to know."

Nico frowned. "Why do you want _me_ to know?"

That's when Percy sighed. "Look, Nico…"

"Percy, is this about my confession?" It seemed so long ago. Just a few days after the war ended. Percy never got the chance to talk to him about it, or tell him what he felt. Nico didn't let him. He'd been avoiding him the past few weeks; especially since he was going to be moving anyway. But now Percy calls…

The son of Poseidon ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I just wanted you to know…well, I'm sorry."

Nico stared. What was he sorry for? "Don't worry about me," he said distantly. "Have fun with Annabeth. Remember, I'm happy for you."

"Nico…"

"See you guys soon." With that, he swiped his hand through the mist and Percy and the Iris-message ended. Nico almost wished that he would call back.

Percy didn't.

* * *

The teenage boy made his way downstairs with a groggy expression. There were only a few Dan members there and awake, but they still all looked at him, concerned. "You all right, Nico-kun?" Seto asked.

"I'm fine," Nico insisted coldly.

Kano scoffed. "You fell asleep at noon yesterday and woke up at ten am."

"I said I'm _fine_."

"It's not his fault," Konoha said, his usual blank expression on. ""Kuroha tired him out."

"No, he didn't."

"Awww, don't worry Nico-chan, that mean ol' Kuroha does that to everyone!"

Just then, Nico sprang up, brought his sword out, and neared it at Kano's throat. He knew Stygian Ice couldn't hurt mortals, but he _could_ see it clearly. Kano gulped as Nico glared daggers into him.

"_I told you," _he sneered. "Drop the _–chan_." When he pulled away, he could almost see him trying to gasp for air. What a drama king.

"Well!" he said. "Didn't have time to deceive you just then!" He gave Nico one of his sly, mischievous smiles.

Kido just rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to Kano, Nico," she said. "He's just playing aroynd."

"Ah, but you know how much I'm good at it, Tsubomi~"

"Shut _up, _Shuuya."

Well, that was the first time Nico heard them say each other's first names. Ignoring it, Nico went to sit beside Konoha. "Did I miss breakfast?" he asked.

Konoha shook his head. "There isn't any food left. Yesterday, I…" He fell silent.

"You what?"

"He ate all the food is what," Kido sighed. "I have to go out again and buy more."

"But I'm hungry _now_…"

"Hey, the fair's opening again in the mall," Seto piped in. "We can tell the others about it while you guys go ahead."

"Well, I can take Konoha," Nico offered. "I'm supposed to be watching over him after all. I'll make sure nothing happens. Plus, I haven't eaten since yesterday."

The albino practically stared at him in admiration. "You would take me?"

"Uh, sure?"

"Great, you two can go together~" Kano declared, clasping his hands together. "Good luck~ Try not to kill each other on the way~"

* * *

As soon as they got to the mall, Nico immediately recognized it as the place where he first met Kuroha. Trying to ignore that fact, he let Konoha lead him to the roof where the fair was being held. He was amazed at how it was able to hold it up. There were many booths for food, games, and rides. There was even a 30-foot tall Ferris wheel.

There was just one problem.

"So many people," Nico muttered.

Konoha saw his struggle and annoyance so he patted him on the head. "We can get through this together," he said.

Nico hated being touched by people taller than him, much less being treated like a child. But he walked close by Konoha as they made their way through the noisy crowd. _'And _I'm _supposed to be the caretaker!' _he scoffed in his mind.

Suddenly, Konoha stopped walking. Nico turned and found him staring at a certain food booth. "Negima," he said simply.

For some reason, Nico understood immediately. He rolled his eyes. "Do you want some?" he asked patiently. Konoha nodded instantly.

They walked up to the stand and Nico bought two negima sticks. The moment he gave Konoha one, he started chewing on it vigorously. It reminded the black-haired teen about a white, fluffy rabbit chewing on a carrot.

The thought made him smile a little inside, seeing a cute scene such as this. "You know," he said. "You're not so bad when you're eating."

As soon as he said that, Konoha stopped eating and froze again. Nico couldn't tell if he was finished or not because the albino android suddenly took off running.

Nico stared, left in a daze. Boy, did that happen to him a lot these days. **(A/N: See what I did there :D)**

"What just happened…" he mumbled. Figuring that Konoha could turn into Kuroha any moment, he started to follow.

Turns out that the android didn't go far. He was just staring at one of the prizes at one of the game booths. When Nico trailed his gaze, he saw a green dinosaur hung on one of the racks.

He looked at the booth and saw that it was a ring toss game. What's better, the rings were made of metal.

"Leave this to me," he whispered as he paid the booth manager. Konoha obeyed and stepped back patiently.

During his spare time, Nico would spend hours with his sister Hazel, teaching each other the different tricks a child of Hades/Pluto must learn. And lately, she has been teaching him how to control precious metals. The rings may not be precious, but they were still metal.

Holding three rings in his hand, Nico concentrated as he closed his eyes. He imagined an invisible hand controlled by his mind as it tightened its grip on the ring. After some more hesitation, Nico's eyes snapped open as he released the ring.

It landed in the stick with perfection.

Gaining confidence, the teen boy did the same to the other two rings. They landed perfectly just the same. Anyone who was watching were amazed and impressed. Some even clapped.

"Pick a prize, any prize," the manager said with a kind smile.

"The green dinosaur," Konoha replied immediately.

The man didn't even hesitate. He plucked the toy right off the rack and handed it over to the albino. "He's all yours."

Clutching it tight, Konoha buried his face into the giant plushie. Nico almost laughed out loud.

As they walked away, Nico sawa grateful smile on Konoha's face. _"Arigatou,_ Nico."

Tongue tangled with no idea of what to say, Nico shrugged. "It was no big deal," he insisted. "I'm just glad you haven't turned into Kuroha yet."

Nico knew he said the wrong thing when Konoha looked down sadly. "He'll come eventually," he said, his tone matching his expression. "Any time now."

"Why is it like this anyway?" Nico asked exasperatedly. "He has a free will to be someone else other than that snake that possessed you and him. Why doesn't he choose to be good?"

The albino only blinked at him. "Why don't you ask?"

Nico looked at him. Konoha's kind face stared back down at him, a thin smile on his lips.

Suddenly, he doubled over. Gasping, black ropes started to surround him once again. As soon as the whiteness died out, Kuroha reappeared.

"Well, that was rather sweet," he scoffed.

Immediately, Nico brought his sword out and aimed it at the android's throat. "I'm not going to let you kill anyone now, Kuroha," he sneered. "I forbid you to."

Kuroha was surprised he had the nerve to do that in the open, but it seemed like no one was even paying attention to them. He pointed at the sword, raising an eyebrow. "Demigod magic?"

"The Mist."

"Whatever that is…" Glaring, he pushed the blade away with the back of his hand. "Fine, I won't kill anyone today. But what do you suggest I do _otherwise?"_

Nico stared at him. "Don't you do anything other than kill?"

Kuroha shrugged. "Not that I know of. The moment I transform, the Dan's first priority is to stop me from doing anything. That's why I kill when I can."

"Then why don't you try _stopping?"_

The dark android only laughed. "Please, you know that's not possible."

Nico sighed desperately. "Well, what _do_ you want to do?"

"Stab someone's stomach and watch someone go insane."

"…Other than that. Don't you want to sit down and talk? Do you not have feelings?"

Kuroha scoffed again. "I ask you, Mr. di Angelo, if someone asked _you_ to sit down and talk about their feelings when they know you _don't _want anyone to know about them, would you do it?"

The son of Hades almost fell back. That was exactly how he felt. He remembered a time when he didn't want anyone to know who he truly was, or know about what he could do.

"Well…no."

"Then no."

Of course, much has changed since the war. _Nico _changed.

"I still think we need to do this," he insisted. "I _feel _like we should."

Kuroha stared at him. "You're really stubborn, aren't you?"

"You have no idea."

The android sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Well, what do you propose? I'm guessing you don't want to…'talk' here, considering it's really noisy and I hate the living."

Wow, did Nico related to half of that sentence. Seeing that they were on a high place, he went over to the edge and scanned the area. Where could they go that was just right for this situation?

Suddenly, it hit him when he saw a certain place, somewhere near the city. "I know exactly where we should go," he declared.

* * *

**Sup yo! Hope this chapter was worth the wait! I'm happy now that I know there are **_**some **_**people reading this fanfic. I hope my work entertains you enough :D **


	7. Walk in the Cemetery

**Chapter 7: A Walk in the Cemetery**

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**I'm so sorry for not being able to update, guys! I haven't had Internet for a while, honestly, and I wasn't able to upload this chapter. Sad, but true V-V But now I'm back (again)! And I hope you'll continue reading on!**

* * *

"Hiss."

"…"

"Hiss hiss."

"…"

"Hisssssssssssssssss—"

"Will you stop it?!"

Having a bored Kuroha with you is a pain.

Nico had to endure his randomness the entire walk. It was a short one, supposedly, but the android made it feel like it was taking _hours_ to go for _miles._

"What do you children of Hades even do?" Kuroha scoffed. "Do you _always_ go around raising the dead?"

"No," Nico snapped. "Do you _always_ try to be this annoying?"

"When I'm not killing anyone, yeah."

"Well, gods of Olympus, it is _working."_

"Glad to know, Nico-chan~" By now, the boy was ready to tighten that choker around his neck.

They continued to walk on. They started to cross an empty street, in which Nico found a bit creepy and weird for some reason. Then, Kuroha stopped walking.

"Ah, I remember this place," he mused, nodding at his surroundings.

"What?"

"This is the place where the shota died."

At first, Nico did not know what the Hades he was talking about. But then he remembered Kano once referred to Hibiya as a "shota". He now stared at the quiet area. This is where Hibiya got his eye power?

"What happened to him?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. Got run over by a truck."

"_A truck?"_

"Yep. But that was before that wretched twin-tail girl kept trying to enter the Haze before him."

He must be talking about Hiyori. "How do you know all this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kuroha gave him a small smile before he continued walking. "I caused it."

* * *

They finally stopped when they saw a particular area with familiar-looking stones sticking out of the ground. Nico should have been excited to see it - seeing his favorite place was always peaceful for him – but he was quiet the rest of the way there.

Kuroha wrinkled his nose as they stood at the entrance. "A cemetery?" He scoffs. "As expected from the son of the god of the dead."

The boy didn't even reply. Nico just walked right in, muttering a "Come on" without waiting for his companion to follow.

As they passed by some graves, they eyed the writings on them, and Nico noticed that some have died in this year. Did Kuroha cause them all? Most of them?

"So this is what you kids do these days, huh?" Kuroha commented sarcastically. "Real mature."

Finally, Nico stopped walking. The android looked at him, confused. "Let's stop here," he declared, and sat by a grave on a hill.

Kuroha reluctantly sat beside him. "May I ask why we're here? It's sort of ironic, bringing a murderer into a cemetery. You trying to make me feel guilty? You're wasting your time."

"There's a problem with you, isn't there?" Nico asked, still staring a the scenery.

"You don't say!" Kuroha laughed. "Look, I've heard the comments, and I'm telling you, there's nothing you can do to change—"

"Why _can't _you?" The son of Hades turned to him, frowning. "Why do you choose to be like this, when you can be so much better?"

Golden eyes stared back at him as Kuroha thought. "Didn't I tell you? I _can't _change. It's in my blood. Circuits, whatever." Before Nico could reply, he changed the subject. "Why did you take me here again? Pretty sure that fair was more fun."

"The cemetery's my favorite place to be," Nico replied nonchalantly. "It's so calm and peaceful here. Sometimes, I talk to the ghosts of the dead."

"Awesome,"

"_You're _here because I seem to be losing my patience every time we talk. Why won't you tell me what's _really_ wrong?"

Keeping his cool, Kuroha turned away from Nico and stared at the graves below them. It _was_ peaceful here… "Maybe because I don't know anything else," he said, rather softly. "Ever since the Snake – my _true_ identity – was destroyed, I didn't know what to do. Ruining people's lives has always been my thing. My desire to kill never left."

"But you have the Dan to help!" Nico protested. "Why wouldn't you let them?"

Kuroha made a face. "Who would want to help the person that practically caused their _deaths_?"

He had a point there. "They could have made you good…they could have made you one of them."

He laughed one of his creepy laughs again. "I don't think I could _ever_ be one of them Mr. di Angelo."

Nico was silent. "Maybe if I wanted to, I could be good…" Kuroha grunted. "I'm just not sure how _that's_ going to work. No one in the Dan likes me, much less understands me."

"Konoha understands you."

"He's my other half, he doesn't count."

"Well…this is going to sound corny, but _I _understand you."

"Ha!" Kuroha scoffed again. "Yeah, right. You're a son of one of the gods."

"I'm the son of the _death_ god," Nico added. "I'm gloomy, people are afraid of me, I have…problems of my own, and most people didn't even understand that about me." Kuroha sighed, turning further away.

Not giving up, Nico stood and started walking down the hill, saying, "But there was at least one person that tries to understand me, and helped me out."

Standing, the android followed him. "Yeah? How'd that turn out?"

Nico hesitated. "I'm who I am today."

The two of them continued walking, neither saying a word. They passed a few more graves until Kuroha recognized one. "It's the grave of the scarf girl," he announced.

"Ayano?" Nico guessed, reading the stone. _Ayano Tateyama: Loving daughter, stepsister, and friend_

"Most stubborn one of the bunch," Kuroha commented. "Entered the haze alone. Showed how much she cared for her loved ones." Waving a hand, he added, "Well, she's alive again! Another hard work of mine reborn." He dismissed the grave and continued walking, Nico trailing behind this time.

"You know so much about the Dan," he commented. "And they know a lot about you."

Kuroha shrugged. "That's what happens, right? _'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'_? And none of them are certainly _my_ friends."

"Kido called you her friend."

"She's delusional."

"Is she?" Nico retorted. "She's rather smart."

"Maybe…" Then he turned to him. "You know so much about us now. We know nothing about you."

"Don't you know enough? I'm a half-mortal, half-god, son of—"

"Not _what_ you are, _who_ you are," Kuroha looked him in the eyes, seeming serious. "Who _are_ you, Nico di Angelo?"

There was a moment of silence. Nico didn't know how to respond, and the look Kuroha was giving him felt deadly. Not wanting to be interrogated, he said, "The question is, who are _you, _Kuroha?"

It didn't sound as intimidating, but the android still stared back, looking annoyed. They just kept staring at each other…

Finally, Kuroha started to walk again. But it looked like he was picking up the pace. "Do you know _why_ I kill people, Mr. di Angelo?"

"You're a cruel and dangerous psychopath?"

"Other than that."

"You…like it?"

Kuroha nodded immediately. "Exactly. People have their hobbies and I have mine. For some reason, killing a person soothes me. Watching their blood flow into my hand gets me relaxed. When there's no one to listen to what I think or _me,_ I kill for comfort. I'm aware it's not right, but what else am I living up to do?"

"Kuroha, that's no excuse," Nico objected. "You should _try_ talking to someone. Everyone can't just keep coming to _you_."

"What if they don't _want_ to talk to me?" he grumbled back. "I think we're just repeating this conversation…"

"Look, if you just tried to _show_ you want to change—"

"Oh, by the Snake, don't you get it?" Kuroha yelled. _"I don't want to!_ People say it's not right, but it's who I am! It's who I'm meant to be, good or bad. You can't _change_ me for it!"

This time, Nico really did just stare. Kuroha was glaring at him and neither of them spoke again. It was just the sound of crows being heard throughout the cemetery.

"I repeat what I have said before," the android said slowly. "You know so much about us, but we know nothing about you. I have spilled my true feelings. Why can't you spill yours?"

"…I…I—"

Suddenly, they heard a loud growl, and the two turned. From afar, Kuroha just saw a harmless black dog. Nico saw something much more. He eyes widened as he brought his sword out.

"Get back!" he shouted, holding an arm out in defense.

"Why?" Kuroha scoffed. "It's just a dog. It's not going to hurt us."

"That's a wild _hellhound!_ It can attack mortals!"

"Well, judging by the name, I should be…afraid?"

"_Yes!"_

The hellhound started to growl even louder. Its fangs were bared and its back was arched as foam started to drip from its mouth. Kuroha had to admit, it looked a bit scarier now.

"Walking…" he mumbled, stepping backwards. As soon as he did, the hound started to run in super fast speed, making Kuroha run as well, shouting, "Walking faster!"

Trying not to facepalm, Nico sprang at the monster. He swiped at it with his sword, and blocked its pounce. Shaking it off, the hellhound snarled at Nico, seeming unaware that he was the son of Hades.

Giving it a clue, Nico reached out for a grave and concentrated. Lifting his hand, a skeleton came out of it, a spear in its bony fingers. The "dog" seemed to be afraid _now._

"Go back!" Nico commanded, making the skeleton to aim its spear at the monster. It was whimpering now, and started to back away.

"I send you back to the Underworld!"

He didn't really expect for anything to happen, but the hellhound seemed to disappear slowly until it vanished into thin air.

"Well…" Nico looked at the skeleton, which looked confused. "That was quick. You may return now." The skeleton bowed, and just like before, it sank back to its grave.

Nico sighed, and turned around. He was a bit surprised to see Kuroha had returned. He _wasn't_ surprised to see his jaw drop and his golden eyes blinking in confusion.

"You…" he stuttered. "You just—"

"Hey, children of Hades can do that," Nico grunted. "I thought you must know by now."

"Yeah, but…"

"But?"

"You saved me," Kuroha processed slowly. "I mean, not really, but…"

"Well, I couldn't let you die, could I?" Nico said simply. The android didn't reply.

The son of Hades looked up at the sky and saw the sun about to set. "It's getting late. We should get back, or I'll miss Kido's cooking."

* * *

**I hope you guys understood all that! Again, I'm sorry for not updating! It might even be a while 'til the next chapter... Still, I hope this made up for it (again)! I promise I'll do my best to update faster V-V **


	8. Different

**Chapter 8: Different**

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**I always love it whenever I see new reviews. Especially the good ones. They always bring a smile to my face. And as I've said before in my other fanfictions, they are my source of inspiration. Thanks for the good comments, guys! Here's the latest chapter to make up for all the waiting!**

* * *

Death Boy didn't speak to anyone for the next twenty-four hours. After that little chat with Kuroha, Nico did his best to avoid him and everyone else by staying in his room at the Dan's base.

"Is Nico-kun sick?" Momo asked in concern. "He didn't come to breakfast this morning."

"Aw, he's probably still upset about that stunt I pulled on him yesterday~" Kano replied.

"As annoying as they can get, I don't think your tricks are the problem this time," Kido muttered. "There's something on his mind…"

"I bet Kuroha did something again…" Marry murmured.

"_G-Gomenasai…" _Konoha said with his head down.

"Why are _you_ sorry?" Shintaro scoffed. "You didn't do anything."

"Why are we even worried about this Nico guy?" Hibiya huffed. "We barely know him."

"He's our guest, Hibiya-kun," Seto said gently. "If he's unsatisfied, we must try to make him happy again."

"I don't think he _was_ when he got here," Hiyori grumbled.

"If only someone talked to him," Ene said loudly.

At those words, Konoha doubled over and the black ropes reappeared. Standing in his place was Kuroha again. "I'd want to talk to the boy," he announced.

"What can _you_ do?" Momo huffed, arms crossed.

"I like to think of myself as the person who's been with him the most, Captivating. I think I'll be able to do more than you."

"Aren't you supposed to be his enemy or something?" Shintaro questioned.

"Correction: he's supposed to change me so I don't." Kuroha gave a light laugh. "Do you want me to talk to him or not?"

Kido hesitated at that. "…Fine, but only because you insist."

Kuroha shrugged. He left the Dan and headed towards Nico's room without another word. "What if his problem _is _Kuroha?" Marry asked.

"He can thank us later~" Kano sang.

* * *

The android opened the door to the demigod's room and poked his head in. The son of Hades was sitting on his bedside, sulking as he stared down at the floor. Kuroha sat opposite of him, back turned, and scoffed. "Must be boring, just staying here."

Nico didn't move. "What do you want?"

"Please don't turn this into some cliché act."

Nico only scoffed in return. Kuroha sighed. "It seems that you did not answer my question yesterday,"

"Why do you care?" Nico turned to him, eyes ablaze. "My life is pretty much useless to you, anyway."

"Oh, _contrare, _my little dead-loving friend. You are the son of a _god_. I am but a snake that merely wants the destruction of the people living here." The teen stared at him. "The point is, I want to know what you are thinking right now."

"Ha. _You?_ Concerned for _me?"_

"Say that again and I _will_ be more than 'concerned'."

Nico tried not to laugh loudly. "Right…remind me why I'm stuck here."

"Your dad commanded you to watch over me, am I wrong?"

"He asked me to try and change your ways."

"Exactly! And like in every cliché friendship story, the good guy must try to reach out to the bad guy if he wants him to be good, right?"

"Maybe. But for your information, we're _both_ bad guys here."

"Oh?" That caught his attention. Kuroha leaned back on the bed, palms planted down on the mattress. "Care to explain why?"

Nico grunted. "In case you haven't noticed, most people _see_ me as the bad one here. I'm the son of the god of _dead_. People treat me differently. Some don't want to get to know me. I only have limited friends back at home." He sighed. "There are only some that know who I truly am inside."

"And that is?"

"W-Well…it's true I'm gloomy most of the time, and I look like I'm depressed…but it's what people _expect _me to act like." Kuroha's eyes widened slightly at that. "After knowing the truth about everything, I can't go back to the same, happy kid I was before…I was fine with my life before I found out I was a demigod. Everything changed completely after that…"

"Ah, but is that what you want? I'm asking you about who you _really_ are."

Nico sighed. "This is ridiculous."

"Oh, don't stop now! We were just getting to the part where you tell me your deepest darkest secret and I make fun of you for it!" He then received a glare from said person. "Aw, don't be like that~! What is it? Are you secretly a spy? A person from the past? Ooh, I know, I know, you're a homosexual!"

"Oh my gods, shut up!" Nico snapped.

That made Kuroha smile a bit. "Now, there's the Death Boy I've known for the past three days!"

The teen blinked. He stared for a bit before sighing again. "You really _are_ annoying."

"I know, right? So, what's the big secret?"

"…You're right, OK? I'm gay. Not only that, but I've been living for more than 70 years now." Nico looked up at Kuroha with narrowed eyes. "I've already been rejected by someone I loved. My _life_ is a piece of _trash."_

Kuroha blinked at him. "Well, I wouldn't necessarily call it 'trash'…but like I thought, pretty interesting." Nico gave him a look. "Come on, it can't be that bad! You've got a new boyfriend now, don't you?"

Nico blushed and looked away. "W-Will's not my boyfriend…"

"Riiight, that's what they all say," When he got no response, Kuroha shook his head. "Look, we've all got our bad moments. And bad lives."

"How can you say you have a bad life? I thought you were _fine_ with the way your are."

"Perhaps…but none of these dead kids like me. They say everything that has happened was caused by my doing."

"…Hasn't it?"

The android just let out a hearty laugh. "Yes. But I couldn't have done it all purposely. I was possessed by a snake. I like to think I still am, because it seems that everything I'm doing is just reminding everyone of it. All the memories I have are of the snake. All I can think of is how I want to kill them all. It's hard to make friends with these people when they know you want to destroy them."

There was silence. Again, has he always felt this way? "If you're feeling bad about it," Nico said slowly. ""Why don't you _try _to change?"

"Home many times do we have to go over this? It's not that easy. For one, how am I so sure that I can completely change? No one here is even encouraging me to do; they just keep saying I need to be stopped."

More silence. This was getting harder and harder for Nico to progress. "Like I said before," Kuroha continued. "I don't know how _else_ to act. Being the bad guy is all I know how to be."

At that, Nico stared at him. Under his gaze, for the first time since he met him, Kuroha didn't look like a scary-looking bloodthirsty psycho killer at all. He didn't look his way, or show him the sad, depressed look he was making. He just faced the wall in front of them.

Nico then turned to his hands that seemed to be trembling in a rather jittery, angered manner. "Once, I thought that it was OK for a demigod like me to be alone and outcasted into the world…"

Kuroha glanced at him and saw how tight his jaw was as he gritted his teeth. "But…some people taught me that it was better to open up."

Nico faced Kuroha again, the look on his face serious and stern. "You and I are alike. We both need someone to open up to. We both need friends once in a while. Let me be that friend to you."

The android stared, shocked at Nico and his words. But he didn't seem to be done. "I'm telling you now…because of something I did, I had more friends. Because of something that happened, I chose to do the right thing. And in the end, I was treated like a hero, even if I didn't ask for it. Your time will come when you get the chance to do the right thing. And when it comes, _do it."_

The two just stared at each other for a long while. After a few more minutes, Kuroha burst out into a gleeful laughter that left Nico into confusion. "I can't believe how anime you sounded just now!" he guffawed.

"_I was trying to be serious!"_

When the laughter died down, the android gave a sly smile and ruffled Nico's hair. "Your words helped, though. Thank you for that."

"Hey! Get your hand off my head!"

"But your hair is so soft! And you're so small! It's cute~!"

Nico's protests and Kuroha's mirth echoed into the sunset.

* * *

**I hope it's good enough! It's not my best chapter, but I hope it'll do :) Enjoy~**


	9. Friend In Deed

**Chapter 9: Friend in Deed**

* * *

**Almost close to the last chapter! Only two chapters left, including this one! Just a little warning, I had no idea what I was doing here xD So please don't hate so much if it's too cliché or whatever. Then again, I feel like this whole story is. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Tomorrow seemed to be looking up to Nico. Either that, or it was the other way around, because the next day, the demigod woke up with not one, but two surprises.

As soon as he got dressed, his eye caught a glint from the window. The rays from the sun seemed to reflect itself in a way for it to pass through the glass and create a seven-colored light. He knew hope was going to be with him today.

Well, that, and an Iris-message. There was Mist in the air, and before Nico knew it, he was face-to-face with the image of Will Solace. "Nico?" his voice called out.

"Will?" Nico frowned. It was not like he wasn't happy to see him; if anything, he was overjoyed. But the fact that he had called so unexpectedly after days of waiting – with a frown on his face, no less – made Nico uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, di Angelo, sorry to bother you on your father's special mission, but I think we've got trouble."

That caught Nico's attention. "What kind of trouble?"

"Let's just say…a certain dragon we all know and love accidentally got hit by a son of the war god's spell and now he's on the loose and attacking campers." As soon as he said that, he yelped and ducked as a flaming spear whizzed over his head. Only then did Nico notice the shouting in the background.

"Peleus is on a rampage?" Nico gasped.

"Yeah…I think only the son of Hades can calm him down." Will gave him a half-smile. "Sorry, Nico, got to go. Please hurry!" And with that, he hung up and the Iris-message was cut off.

Nico stood there, shocked. He _had_ to get back to camp. But first, he had to tell his "acquaintances."

* * *

"You're leaving?" Momo asked, frowning.

"Yes, and it's very important, so I have to leave for the day." Nico explained quickly.

"Well, if it's an emergency, I don't see any reason to keep you here," Kido said, nodding.

"Thank you." As Nico was about to head out the door, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I'm coming with you," a hearty Kuroha declared.

"What? No way! It's too dangerous. Besides, half-bloods only."

"I'm not really human, remember?"

"Haven't you turned back to Konoha yet…" Marry mumbled.

Ignoring that, Kuroha looked at the demigod sternly. "You're the only one who told me I needed to try changing. This could be my chance."

"To what? Save the camp? Being a hero doesn't happen overnight."

"I'm not expecting that. I'm saying that maybe learning from a true hero could give me some inspiration."

It took a while to realize he was talking about Nico. The son of Hades looked at the Dan leader.

She nodded again. "We have no control over him. As long as his intentions are good, there's no use stopping him."

That made Kuroha smile a bit. So did Nico. He held his out to the android who took it eagerly.

Together, they shadow-travelled to Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

When they arrived at the entrance, Kuroha was already amazed at his surroundings. "Cool," he murmured.

Nico, however, was too busy watching the camp's guard dragon assaulting its campers in horror. He almost barged right in before he called out.

"Uh, little help here?"

"I, Nico di Angelo, give you permission to enter camp."

He honestly didn't expect it to work. But when Kuroha toppled over as the invisible wall that blocked him disappeared, he had to smile.

"Try to stay away from the trees and find a good hiding spot," Nico instructed. "I'll get you later!"

Bringing his sword out, he charged into the battlefield.

Peleus had really changed after that spell. His usual gentle, welcoming, playful eyes got a fierce, wrathful look in them. He breathed fire almost all over the place. It was like the Colchis bulls and the bronze dragon all over again. Only this time, no one wanted to hurt Peleus. He was more than just the guard dragon; he was an important part of the Camp Half-Blood family. No one could stop his rampage.

Until Nico arrived.

"Nico!" Will was overwhelmed with happiness when he saw Nico run up to him. He put an arm around his shoulders and smiled. "Good to see you again!"

"You just saw me a few minutes ago through the Iris-message."

"I mean in person!"

"Duck!" They quickly knelt down as another fireball blazed past. "If only Peleus could say the same…" Will sighed.

"Why didn't you guys handle him yourselves?" Nico frowned.

"We got our best beast tamers to try wrangling him, but no luck. It's just like the bronze dragon, they claim!" He ducked from another fireball. "You're our last resort!"

"I'll see what I can do," Nico said. His tone was hesitant, but he had to believe. Before Will could say anymore, the son of Hades charged at the dragon.

Just like with everyone else, Peleus looked like he didn't recognize Nico. As soon as he saw him, he breathed another fireball at him. Nico quickly dodged it by hiding behind a weapon rack.

How was he supposed to get to the dragon without hurting him? He grabbed some rope from the rack and tried again.

Peleus saw him and tried to strike with his claws. Nico dodged once more. The next time he struck, Nico went for risk and shadow-travelled. The dragon was confused at where he went but the demigod didn't go far. Peleus let out a furious roar when he felt someone on his back.

He thrashed and kicked, breathed out fireballs like some flame-breathing rodeo bull. But Nico held on tight. He tried wrapping the rope around Peleus' neck so he could de-spell him.

But the dragon didn't let on that easy. Nico tried to keep him in control. Demigods were too busy putting out fires to help. The son of Hades desperately needed it.

Suddenly, Peleus let out a really loud roar and gave his hardest kick. Slipping from the rope, Nico found himself flying off the dragon's back.

Before he could even scream, Nico landed at the base of the Big winced from the pain and gritted his teeth, holding his head not from hurting himself but in frustration.

'_One spell,' _he thought angrily. _'All I need is the chance to do _one spell."

He propped himself up, forcing himself to try again. He was about to walk off when someone said, "Nico!" The demigod expected it to be Will, but his eyes widened when he saw Kuroha.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I told you to hide!"

"I did," the android replied bluntly. "And I also said I would watch. You were hilarious, by the way."

"Not funny," Nico grumbled, walking past him. "I've got to get that dragon under control!"

"It's impossible for a small fry like you to do it," Kuroha noted. "You'll just get knocked right off again!"

"They said only I can be able to fix the spell," Nico countered. "I have to do it, even if I keep falling. Maybe if I _did_ have someone who could—"

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Nico's head. He paused and slowly turned towards Kuroha.

"…What."

"Kuroha…you're good at keeping your struggling victims down, right?"

"…What are you implying."

"I changed my mind. I might need your help after all."

"But you said that—"

"I know. But I don't think I can do this without you."

That brought a wide grin to Kuroha's face. "Really?"

"Don't make me say it again."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Worth a shot. Tell me what to do!"

Peleus was getting worse. He'd started trampling over more weapons and plants. His fire-breathing increased; he almost set all the cabins in flames.

"We can't let Peleus bring down our camp!" Will shouted to the others. "We have to stop him no matter what!"

Campers shouted back in response. As they charged at the dragon, Nico and Kuroha also ran towards the action.

"Just do what you have to do," Nico informed. "I'll take care of the rest." Kuroha nodded and went ahead.

The son of Hades reached into his pocket and fished out a drachma. He's heard Percy had done this before once while battling Luke, so maybe it could work too.

Meanwhile, Kuroha joined the other campers flinging themselves at Peleus. But the dragon just swatted them away like mosquitoes.

"All right, let's do this!" the android shouted. "You're in _my_ womb now!" Without thinking, he charged.

Peleus was ready to push him off but Kuroha was fast. Before the dragon knew it, he was on his back and holding on tight, just as Nico did. The dragon roared again and started kicking once more.

"Hold still, would ya?!" Thanks to Konoha's eye power, Kuroha received a portion his strength. He got the rope around his neck and pulled. That seemed to stop his fire-breathing.

Then he jumped off and started wrapping the rope around his feet in maximum speed. The dragon fell down on the ground before he knew it.

Campers stared at Kuroha as he pinned Peleus down and shouted in victory. How was one mortal able to take care of one dragon when a hundred demigods couldn't?

It wasn't over yet, though. Peleus was still struggling to break free. Before he could roar again, Nico arrived.

"Come on Peleus, let's get you back."

Nico held his hand out and started muttering some words. Slowly, the dragon started to relax and ease out his anger until it fully collapsed on the ground. When Kuroha untied him, Peleus was restored to his true self. He stood off the ground, blinked, and happily licked the son of Hades.

The campers erupted into cheers. "Nico! Nico! Nico!" But the demigod only wanted to hide in the shadows.

Will went right over to him and clapper him on the shoulder. "You did it, Nico! I knew you could!"

Nico tried for a smile. "Well…"

"Hey! Was I awesome or what?" Kuroha shouted, running right over.

"I was just about to say so, gods!"

"But I was good, right?" The android was clearly smiling proudly, practically bursting with excitement. "You saw how I did!"

The demigod rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, you were helpful Kuroha, thank you."

Kuroha gave him a smile. "What are friends for?"

Nico froze at that and stared. It took a while for him to truly realize he was changing. That made him smile right back. "Yes…you were great back there, Kuroha." Trying to hide a smirk, he looked over behind him, saying, "Right, Kido?"

At the name, Kuroha's eyes widened as he turned around. An Iris-message was glinting behind him, and through the mist, he saw the entire Dan staring back at him. It seems like they've seen the whole thing.

"I never thought he was capable of such things~" Kano teased.

"Are you sure it wasn't Konoha?" Takane asked. It was hard to tell if she was joking or not.

"Oi!" Kuroha protested.

"So you can actually be good for once," Marry commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Kido sighed and looked at him with her serious look. "What you did was admirable, Kuroha."

"Please do it more often!" Momo called from the background. The android was too stunned to even respond.

"Thanks for contacting us, Nico," Seto said. "We'll see you both later." Nico nodded and ran a hand through the mist. The Iris-message evaporated away quickly.

Kuroha frowned at the demigod. "Why'd you call them?" he asked.

Nico only shrugged. "I wanted them to see you in your changed side. That was your chance, and I took it for you. Now maybe the Dan won't think so wrongly of you so much."

"Wow…I can't believe you did that for me."

"What are friends for?"

Just like with Nico, the android froze when he said that. But he slowly melted into a smile. "Yeah…friends."

Before Nico could take it back, he held his hand out. He was smiling. Kuroha eagerly shook it back.

* * *

**Because it's almost the end, I'm going to post Chapter 10 soon, I promise! I really hope you liked this chapter! **


	10. We'll Meet Again

**Chapter 10 and Epilogue: We'll Meet Again**

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**Chapter 10 and the Epilogue was posted way sooner than I'd expected. But who cares, it's the final chap! I'd just really like to thank all those who supported this fic! Thank you for all your reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! There were only very few of you, but every single action made me happy. It always cheered me up to see those supported this story. And so, I present you the last chapter!**

* * *

A surprise waited for Nico the next morning. When he entered the Dan's living room, the entire Dan was grinning. Especially Kuroha, who had the biggest smile of them all.

"What's everyone so happy about?" he asked.

"Notice anything different?" Kuroha said, rather proudly.

Nico didn't understand what all the buzz was about until it hit him to observation: there were _fourteen _people in the room.

It wasn't because he'd finally seen Ayano for the first time. She'd stop to by see to see the Dan and visit, but his attention wasn't directed to her.

He was staring at the person beside Kuroha. White hair. Red eyes. Similar clothing, only in different, lighter colors. For the first time ever, Konoha was standing beside Kuroha as two different people.

"How…how did this happen?" Nico stuttered. He was happy, excited, and confused all at the same time.

"We don't know," Kuroha said, grinning. "I woke up on the floor this morning, wondering when I took over the body, and there I found it still on the bed."

"It was quite a surprise to see him," Konoha said. But his face failed to hide a cheerful smile.

"It's either a sign or a miracle," Kido said. "What you've done the other day is the first step to your progress as a 'new person'."

"I guess it _is_ possible," Marry admitted quietly.

That made Kuroha smile widely. "The Queen finally accepts it!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"The point is, you're finally a 'new man'~!" Kano sang.

Kuroha laughed and put an arm over Konoha's shoulders. "Right!"

"Kuroha…please get your arm off."

"Aw, but we're best buds now, yeah?" The others only chuckled.

Nico smiled a bit at the two. He couldn't have been any prouder. Kuroha was finally changing completely.

But that meant one thing left…

"This is it, then," he announced. "It is time for me to take my leave."

Everyone was silent. Kuroha was frowning now. "What do you mean?"

"My work is done. I've made sure you stopped all the killing and that you've changed for better. I should get going back to camp as soon as possible."

Nobody said a word. They hadn't gotten to know Nico for as long as they hoped. But the thought of the person who was able to lift a big weight out of their hearts leaving didn't make them so enthusiastic about it.

"We all knew you weren't an official Dan member," Kido finally spoke up. "We should've expected this sooner or later."

"The week went by quickly, didn't it?" Shintaro piped in. The others nodded in agreement.

"If he has to leave today, let's give him a proper goodbye." Kido declared.

"Does that mean we'll have a party?" Ene asked excitedly.

The Dan leader nodded. "A special thank you gift to show you our appreciation."

"No, no, you don't have to…" Nico protested. He hated when people put so much attention on him.

"Nonsense~" Kano said, patting his back, smiling. "You deserve it! Come on, Nico-chan!"

At that point, Nico was too overwhelmed to threaten him. "Thanks, everyone…" Really, he didn't know what else to say.

Suddenly, Kuroha put an arm around _his_ shoulders. "Now, don't be so modest! Let's celebrate! Or, not, since you're leaving. Let's grieve!"

There were some cheers from the Dan. Instantly, they started preparing the room for the occasion. Nico resisted the urge to shake his head. These people really were weird. Then again, who was he to judge? Nico tried to hide his smile as he made his way to his room.

While they were getting ready, he started packing up. He gathered all his belongings and started stuffing them back into his bag. He never thought he would actually leave a place where the mortals knew he was a demigod. He never thought he'd miss them, either. First time for everything, maybe…

Just then, Nico felt a presence behind him. He forced himself to turn around."Father?"

Hades was standing there, face-to-face with his son, smiling pretty widely. "You did it, boy," he said. "You completed my mission. Well done."

"T-Thank you…"

"Now you must return to your Camp Half-Blood. However, remember when I said these dead kids here could know about the secrets of you being a demigod?"

'_You never told me anything like that,' _Nico thought. But before he could say anything, Hades interrupted him.

"I sort of lied about that. They may have powers, but they're still mortals. Their memories must be erased." A vial of potion suddenly appeared in the god's hand. He placed it in Nico's. "I sense your new 'friends' are about to make punch. Put this in the drink and everyone will forget anything you told them about Greek mythology after the party."

Things were all coming in too fast for Nico to handle. The Mekakushi Dan had to forget he was a demigod.

"But the reason Kuroha turned good was because he helped out in Camp Half-Blood!" Nico protested. "What if he turns bad again once he forgets?"

"Oh, he won't forget," Hades promised. "His memories can also be altered. He'll just believe he helped chase a dog or something."

"W-Well, what about me being here in the first place? Unless he knew a god commanded me to, he'll never understand why a total stranger wanted to help!"

"That's easy. Just say you _really, really_ wanted to."

"Father!"

"Nico, you've seen what has happened to mortals when they get involved in our lives. Do you want the same thing to happen to these poor kids?"

There were a few scenarios Nico recalled that he indeed did not want to happen to the Dan members. "No…"

"Then you must do this."

"…Are they…going to forget me?"

Hades scoffed. "It'd be easier if they did. But, like you said, you and a of of other moments are important for them to keep. They will remember you, and will still see them as their 'friend'." That made Nico relax a bit. "But you must leave with them thinking you are too a mortal."

"Yes, Father," Nico said blankly. He wasn't going to like this, but no one could go against a god.

"You have to face it, boy. These dead kids have already gone through too much already. They don't need more stress. Besides, you still have 'friends' at camp. Absolutely nothing to be sad about. Now, I must go." Nico looked away as Hades showed his true form and disappeared from the room.

The demigod just stood there in silence. Nico stared at the space where his father disappeared from. He stared at the vial in his hand, felt it a little, and clutched it again in his fist.

* * *

After a few more moments to himself, Nico decided to pull himself together and step out of his room. The others were gathered in the living room, laughing and talking. The demigod smiled at the scene. _'These guys…' _he thought. Sure, he'd known them for less than a week, but he'd truly grown attached to them… And soon, they'll all forget about who he truly is.

'_Well,' _he tried to reason with himself. _'At least they'll still know me…it's not the end of the world.'_ (And boy, had he sure experienced _that_ almost happening.)

Nico found the punch bowl at the table filled with food. He crept over to it, making sure no one saw him. He brought the vial out and dumped the entire liquid in it. Once it was empty, he put the vial away and went to join the others.

The entire time, the Dan members each interacted with Nico. They thanked him, congratulated him, invited him to come over anytime. It was the most fun Nico has ever had. It was really a shame they all had to forget…

"Hey, Nico," Kido said, when she'd approached him. "Thanks again."

"Hey, just doing my job."

"No, really. If it wasn't for you—"

Nico held up a hand. He wasn't going to make her say any more. She seemed like the cool, collected type and Nico was sure to keep it that way. "Really, it's fine. I understand. I'm glad we were able to help each other out, _Danchou."_

The demigod then saw her smile. A real, genuine smile. "Well, at any case, we'd love for you to meet up again sometime." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny piece of paper. She handed it over and Nico recognized it as a home phone number. "Call any time, all right?"

Nico smiled as he stuffed it away. "Sure."

Once Kido had left, Nico had come to realize how much he was going to miss this place. It was a weird feeling, but he knew that he really was, someday, going to be back.

"You all right?" Nico almost jumped when he'd turned and saw Hibiya. He didn't really have time to get to know him much, but something in his eyes told Nico that he was like some kind of stubborn kid that still tried to have fun every once in a while. It almost reminded Nico of himself when he was younger….

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look like it."

"What's it to you?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'll leave you alone."

"Wow. You're easily convinced."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing. Forget about it."

"…Oi."

"What?"

"…Come back again, OK?"

Nico was taken aback at that. "…Sure."

They stopped talking when they heard a tinkering of glass. Kuroha was standing on a stool, clinking his cup. "I'd like to make a toast!" he announced.

Nico soon found a Marry putting a glass of the punch in his hand. Everyone else raised their own.

"I'd just like to give a thank you to everyone in the Dan," Kuroha continued. "I knew that one day, in your hearts, you'd learn to accept my true nature." The Dan members all rolled their eyes at that.

"And I'd like to give a big warm thanks to Nico, who was the reason all this was made possible. I would never have changed if I never had met him. We owe it all to him." The demigod looked up at the android and smiled back at him.

Kuroha nodded, grinning. "This was all because of you, bro. To Nico!"

"To Nico!" everyone said. They raised their glasses up high and drank.

Except the demigod himself. He cheered along with the others, but he didn't take one sip of the punch. Everyone cheered and carried on with the partying. The hours passed until the party finally ended, and everything went just like Hades predicted.

Nico sighed. It was nice knowing them…but he knew this wasn't the end.

He smiled a bit and whispered, _"Sayonnara."_

* * *

**Epilogue**

_~Three months later~_

The son of Hades had to know. He had to know what happened to them. But he couldn't Iris-message them. So he took another risk.

As he sat upon a hill in Camp Half-Blood, Nico was using the borrowed phone Annabeth always used for emergencies. This was certainly an emergency to him. He always kept that little piece of paper with the Dan's number Kido had given him.

Now, he punched in those numbers.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. How long did it take for one person to answer? Nico still patiently waited.

Someone picked up. There was a cracking in the line, and a voice picked up. _'Moshi-moshi?'_ a voice asked.

Even if it was in Japanese, Nico recognized the voice. "Kuroha?"

Nico felt the atmosphere in the other end lighten up. "Nico! How've you been doing? You made a safe trip back to Italy, I presume."

"Uh, yeah, I did. That was three months ago, mind you."

"Yeah, yeah, but still! Is it wrong to care?"

"No. How's everyone?"

"Great, great. We've all been getting along well."

"That's good. No killing?"

"No killing."

"No more calling them dead kids?"

"Nope."

"No more 'Welcome to my womb' jokes?"

"Hey! You know I can't promise that!"

Nico had to laugh. "True."

"How's Peleus? That Rottweiler still causing you trouble?"

The demigod looked down from the hill he was on and saw the dragon sleeping peacefully by Thalia's tree, bravely guarding the Golden Fleece. "Yep, he's calmer now," Nico admitted. "Thanks to you, anyway."

"If he ever goes out of control again, give a call! I'll take the first trip to Rome!"

"You're awfully cheerful now, aren't you, Kuroha?"

There was a laugh. "Yeah…things have really been going swell. I really do feel like a new person." In a lower tone, he added, "And…I know, I've said it before…but thanks again, Nico."

The demigod chuckled as he leaned back on the hill he was on. "No problem, Kuroha. I'd like to thank you too."

"For what?"

As the sun set over camp, Nico smiled. "For being a friend."

_~The End~_

* * *

**It's finally over! After so many months, it's finally done! My fourth story, I'm so proud ^-^ I'm so grateful to all those people that read this 'til the very end! I'm very sorry for all those late updates, but the end of this story has finally made up for it! I really hope you all enjoyed this fanfic! Remember, I'm always happy to read reviews or see this story have more favorites. I seem to be getting more followers lol. But it's really the reader's joy that I would want to see :) Happy reading, everyone! See you in future stories!**


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